The Seventh Master
by saphira54325
Summary: Fairy Tail has beaten Tartaros and is now in the stages of rebuilding everything they lost. But the lose of one who leads their guild will put a damper on their spirits if there isn't someone to pick up the broken pieces. FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

First chapter to a two or three shot where Fairy Tail never disbanded after the Tartaros arc (because right now it seems really forced). Hope you enjoy it! R&R and the next chapter should be up soon!

The war with the dark guild Tartaros was over. But unlike many other battles the Fairy Tail guild had fought over the years, this one left cracks and craters in their foundation that would take months to heal. The wizards did their best to speed the healing, and the first step was reconstructing their guild hall for the umpteenth time.

The dragon slayers in particular were all subdued. After losing their dragons, all three of them felt a hole in their hearts that couldn't be cured by anything but time.

It was probably for the best that they were feeling out of it, because building the new guild hall took priority and Natsu and Gajeel were less likely to get on each other's nerves and pick a fight that would wreck what progress the others had made.

The only ones who were exempt from the construction were Laxus, the Thunder Legion, and the Master. The former were still recovering from the anti-magic particles that had raged inside their bodies, and the latter was poring over a pile of documents taller than himself.

Laxus leaned on his arm to look over his grandfather's shoulder, sneaking a peek at all his paperwork. "Is that for the destruction of the town?" he asked knowingly. The tired sigh that followed his question told him it was.

"I'll be writing letters of apology until the day I die 'cause of you kids," Makarov grumbled, though there was a little fondness hidden in his mumblings. The Thunder Legion, sitting a little ways off from the two, were suddenly laughing.

Well, Freed and Bixlow were laughing, while Evergreen glared at both of them, fiddling with her glasses and seeming to intend on taking them off.

"I told you two it's not like that!"

"Then why were you starin' at him like that? C'mon, you can tell us all about it, Ever!" Bixlow teased, his eyes sparkling. He had kept his mask off as he was healing and with his friends, he didn't see the need to put it back on.

"Perhaps you should go and see if he needs help over there." Freed commented obliviously, noting Elfman's slightly strained movements as he carried the wooden beams to and fro. Ever just turned red and didn't answer either of them. Bixlow smirked.

"I could always take control of his soul and bring him over here, if you wanted. Then you two could cuddle the day away-"

"Drop it, or I swear I will turn you both into statues and grind you into dust, got it?" Her voice was full of venom, but her friends just laughed it off.

"Sure you will!"

Laxus, who had been watching their antics with amusement, turned around to see his grandfather staring at him intently. He raised an eyebrow. "Something the matter?"

"No... no, it's nothing. I'm just taking a break from all this work. We may have won the war against Tartaros but my job is far from over." The lightning dragon slayer shrugged, gazing out over his guildmates hard at work.

"Neither is anyone else's. I do feel like I should be doing something to help them out." Makarov shook his head, knowing that underneath his shirt he was still sporting bruises and bandages. Not to mention the damage on the inside.

"You did a number on yourself, trying to be the hero. You've earned the rest, my boy." Laxus huffed, putting his chin into his hand. The Master chuckled, then, after looking back at his stack of papers, he had an idea.

"If you're really that bored, you could always help me apologize to the entire world for the destruction we've caused!" Makarov jokingly suggested, sure that his grandson would scoff at him for even offering the opportunity-

"Sure, if I can help." Laxus shrugged, explaining himself when his grandfather just stared at him blankly. "It beats sitting around. And I don't know if you have enough years left to get through all that by yourself." The lightning wizard joked, adjusting himself to comfortably write with a board propped against his knee.

Makarov was now the one to scoff. "I may be old but I'm still kicking, ain't I? You can't get rid of me that easily!" he cried, waving his fist in the air. Laxus rolled his eyes.

"Just hand me some papers already, old man."

"What is this? Our Laxus is doing _paperwork?_ " Freed asked incredulously, looking over his shoulder at the Legion's leader. He was hard at work with what the Master had given him, but he was still making slight conversation with the man next to him. Ever snickered.

"He looks just like the Master, doesn't he?"

"Well, that makes sense, doesn't it? He _is_ the master's grandson." Bixlow commented, shrugging.

"I never would have thought this day would come so soon! I'm so proud of him!" Freed gushed, his eyes gleaming.

"What are you on about now?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, STREAKER!?" They heard a man yell, and all three of them looked over to see Elfman and Gray butting heads. The Thunder Legion sweatdropped, knowing what was coming next.

"I said that Natsu's acting like a pansy, what's it to you?!" Gray blurted.

"Natsu's a real man! He's much stronger than you!" That was what set him off.

"Oh yeah? Hey, Natsu, why don't we settle this now? Let's see which one of us is stronger now!" He said, showing off the markings on his arm now that his shirt had magically disappeared.

Natsu looked up from the opposite side of the construction zone with deadened eyes, and Gray faltered for a second before Macao spoke up behind him.

"Leave him be, Gray. He has every right to be subdued right now."

"What kind of man tries to fight someone who's ill? If you want a fight then fight someone who's ready!" The ice wizard needed no further invitiation.

"Fine then! Ice Make: Lance!" Ice spears sped towards Elfman, but he morphed into a beast takeover and batted them away, growling. He shot forward and swiped at Gray but instead he charged into a beam that was being carried by Loke, flinging the celestial spirit across the yard and causing him to destroy the table where Erza, Cana, and Lucy were eating their lunch. Cana and Lucy started yelling at Loke, but quickly noticed the dangerous aura around Erza, and Lucy took a step away.

"You idiots! Are you really going to destroy all of our hard work-" her scolding is cut off before it could get deadly by a piece of flying debris knocking her in the forehead, sending her down for the count.

The fight raged on, more and more of the guild members finding a reason to jump into the fray. Atop the small hill, the Master and his grandson facepalmed.

"I should have known it was too quiet. This was bound to happen at some point. Best to let them get their energy out now, I suppose..." Makarov mumbled, trying to convince himself to let it play out. He didn't have the energy to yell at his kids right now... but the electricity in the air that was making his hair stand on end told him someone else did. "Laxus..."

The lightning mage stood, sparks dancing over his skin. His eyes were sparking dangerously and they focused in on Gray and Elfman, the two who were actually fighting one on one. His arm went up, pointing his index finger, and Makarov heard a telltale rumble.

"Don't fry them, Laxus!" he cried, but his grandson shook his head.

"I'm not gonna. Just give them a scare."

Gray and Elfman were engrossed in their battle. The ice wizard had gained a lot of power from his battle with his father, but he still wasn't in full control and he couldn't use it well. Elfman also had excess energy today, trying to beat it out of his mind that he was the one that had done this to the guild hall.

They were forehead to forehead for a moment, then, sensing something was off, instinctively jumped back. The instant they did, a large bolt of lightning seared between them, temporarily blinding them and scaring them half to death.

At the same time they turned to see Laxus glaring at them from the edge of the construction site. The rest of the fighting around them had stopped as well, most likely because of the lightning.

"Listen up! You guys are supposed to be rebuilding the guild hall so we have a place to work again! This isn't the time for horsing around and destroying what progress you've already made, leave that for when there's actually a roof over our heads, got it?!" The dragon slayer shouted, his voice carrying to every person in the yard. They all nodded, noting the sparks that were still running rampant over his skin, and started turning to the ones they were fighting and apologizing.

"Sorry man. Guess we're all just tense." Gray told Elfman, who nodded.

"Yeah... but let's spar when we're done here. You're strong, a real man!" The ice mage chuckled, going back to his work after agreeing to the challenge.

The sixth master of Fairy Tail gazed at his grandson as he came back to his side and started to work on the papers again. He was almost scarier than Erza when he was irritated, and when he was angry...

Well, that was saved for his enemies, so it didn't matter too much.

Laxus looked at him out of the corner of his eye and Makarov smiled.

"I didn't hurt the little kiddies, why are you staring at me?"

The old man shrugged, turning back to his fifth letter of apology. "It's nothing."

 _Is the time finally coming? Can I finally release this responsibility onto someone else?_

A day shy of two weeks later, the new guild hall was far enough along in construction that they were able to accept job requests again, though Makarov put a limit on how many could leave the guild at once.

"Just temporarily, while we get the guild completely rebuilt." But there was an undertone of fear in his words, and maybe he felt just a little uncomfortable letting any of his children out after the ordeal they had gone through.

But they had to work, and Makarov knew that. He knew his kids were powerful, some probably more than himself, and they could take care of themselves.

This didn't stop him from giving his grandson and his team a warning when they set out for a rather simple job of fighting off some bandits vying for a small village's sacred jewel.

"Try not inhale a lungful of anti-magic particles this time around, got it?" The Thunder Legion snickered and Laxus rolled his eyes.

"I don't need you to tell me that, old man. Let's go," the man said to his team, but as they walked away, he felt a hand on his arm. Laxus turned to see Makarov with a serious, almost grave expression.

"I'm serious, Laxus. Make sure all four of you come back safe and sound." The lightning mage tugged his arm out of his grandfather's grip but didn't walk away.

"I'm serious too, Gramps. I don't need you to tell me to keep them safe. That was my plan all along. Besides, they can look after themselves." With that, he gave the small man a half-smile and left the guild hall.

"How much you've grown, my boy..." Makarov muttered, knowing that team would be perfectly fine. Absently, he rubbed at his chest where his heart was, feeling a strange sensation blooming.

The job proved to be easier than they had thought. Turned out that the bandits were from a treasuring hunting guild, with absolutely no experience with mages. Especially not ones like the Thunder Legion. They were easily scared off by Evergreen's Fairy Machine Gun, though Bixlow's dolls following them halfway through the forest probably sealed the deal.

"We should report that guild when we get back. I know it's the job of people in a treasure hunting guild to go after treasure, but they went too far." Evergreen stated as they headed back to Fairy Tail.

"Once they learned the crystal was the only thing keeping the town alive, they should have left it at that." Freed added in agreement. Bixlow shrugged.

"Well, they're not gonna come back for a long time after the show we gave 'em. I think one of them even wet his pants as he was running away."

"Run away!"

"Run away!"

"The leader's scream was the best. I'm not sure even I could hit the note he did!" the fairy laughed, joined by her friends. Then she looked up at Laxus and her smile fell away.

"Something wrong, Laxus?" she asked with concern. The lightning mage was staring off into the distance, a hand absently over his heart. It took him a few moments to register that Evergreen was talking to him. By then all three of them were staring at him.

"Hey, you listening?"

"Laxus, you can talk to us!"

The dragon slayer shook his head. "No... It's probably nothing. I just have a strange feeling in my chest." His bodyguards glanced at each other.

"Does it hurt?"

Laxus shook his head, trying to smile at them. "No, it doesn't. It's more like... a feeling. Of dread or something. It's probably just my imagination, though." Evergreen grimaced, fiddling with her glasses.

"You sure? Cause your 'feelings' have tended to be pretty accurate most of the time, you know." The puppet master told him, but he shrugged off the suggestion.

"I think it's just that with all that's happened recently, I'm a little on edge. Sorry."

His companions were quick to assure him that it was fine, and they went back to talking amongst themselves, sparing a glance or two for their leader once in a while.

The walk back to Magnolia was peaceful, a nice break for all the hectic bustle of the city that was trying to repair itself as quick as possible. The fresh air felt good when Laxus breathed, with his lungs still healing from the anti-magic particles he had inhaled. The most damage had been done to his chest, and even now he would feel pains now and again when he took too deep of a breath.

This feeling wasn't like that, though. It didn't hurt, so much as it was uncomfortable. It was a growing feeling of dread, but there shouldn't be anything causing it. Unconsciously, he started walking a bit faster and the Thunder Legion followed suit without comment.

Rounding over the hill that would give them a clear view of the whole city, Laxus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he saw the town was exactly how it had been when he left three days ago.

"I'm just being paranoid." He reassured himself, turning to offer a nod to his friends. Evergreen gave him a knowing look but didn't say anything, instead walking past him to stand at the hill's top.

"They all look like ants, don't they?"

"They're working hard to rebuild the city. They've made significant progress since we left. And the guild looks good as new." Freed commented, ignoring Bixlow's comparison. Evergreen and Laxus nodded their agreement with the sentiment.

"Come on, let's get back. Master will want to hear about those treasure hunters," Evergreen said, starting down the hill. The others followed her, with Laxus finding his usually casual pace speeding up at the sight of the newly repaired town.

The guild hall looked better from afar than it did up close. From up on the hill they hadn't been able to see the fresh parts of the roof that still needed shingles, or the patches of wood on the walls that needed paint. They walked inside to get a feel of how much work still needed to be done, but instead of a lively bustle of people running around and getting everything set up, Laxus and his companions are met with hushed silence.

Whispers were momentarily halted when people caught sight of the Lightning mage, but they soon started back up, directed solely at him. His enhanced ears weren't able to pick up many details, but he did hear "Master" and "can't believe it" from Levy and her puppy dog teammates, who were currently huddled together on the floor.

Laxus scanned the room and caught sight of the one group who he knew he could get a straight answer out of. Heading towards the few who were actually sitting at one of the two tables in the room, he stopped and crossed his arms in front of a pink-haired dragon slayer.

"What's going on?" the wizard asked gruffly, causing everyone's head to shoot up at the new noise. His voice carried and he heard the whispers rise in intensity around him. Somehow, he knew they weren't anything good.

"Oh, you're back. That's good. It's good you're back. You should be here. For this, I mean." Erza stuttered, not aware that she was repeating herself several times in different sentences. Gray put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to lay her head down on the table, which she obediently did without complaint. Her eyes slid shut and Laxus realized that everyone looked exhausted.

"It's horrible... what will we do..." Lucy muttered, her eyes fixed on a knot in the wooden table. Natsu put a comforting arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. He then looked up with eyes that were dead to the world.

"Master... He's... He's..." Natsu stuttered, finding it hard to spit it out. Laxus felt his stomach twist until Gray clarified.

"He's sick. He collapsed yesterday, and Porlyusica has been with him since then. At this point..." his voice cut off as Juvia ran up to him and immediately buried herself in his chest.

"Gray my love, please comfort me!" The Ice Mage sighed but simply patted her back comfortingly.

Letting them be, Laxus left them to head back over to his teammates, only to find they had head over to sit with the two youngest Strauss siblings, with Mirajane oddly missing. From the looks on their faces the dragon slayer could tell that they had been filed in, and all three of them gazed at him with pity in their eyes. The man shrugged, not wanting them to know the turmoil he was feeling.

"Looks like your feeling was right, huh Laxus?" Evergreen said, trying to attempt a joke but her voice breaking halfway through. He managed a small smile at it though, which helped to put her at ease.

"Looks like it."

"Laxus... why don't you go to the infirmary? Miss Porlyusica said no visitors while she's working, but Mira's been waiting all night and..."

"We're worried about her." Lisanna and Elfman told him. The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"You want me on guard duty?"

"No, no! Nothing like that. It's just... so Mira can come back and maybe get a little bit of sleep, that's all. You don't have to wait like she was, I guess..." the youngest Strauss clarified. Laxus stood without further comment and started towards the back of the guild.

He didn't get far before two woman appeared, one with pink and gold hair and one with pure white.

They both looked exhausted, and Mira's eyes were red. Knowing Mirajane, she probably stayed up all night to wait for news on the Master's condition, and even though she would never admit it, the old healer must have as well.

Their presence set up more whispers throughout the guild hall, and the harrowed looks on their faces told of nothing but bad news.

Porlyusica lead Mira over to her siblings, who received her into their arms warmly, and then turned to the rest of the guild hall who were waiting with baited breath.

She shook her head. "There's nothing I can do to stop his condition. He will live for a few more days at most with the help of my potions, but no longer." Sharp intakes of breath were heard, and Laxus felt his heart sink.

"I thought you were supposed to be the best healer in Fiore! Come on, there's gotta be something you can do to save Gramps!" The whole guild whipped around to see another pink haired individual, his eyes now flaming with anger. Lucy was desperately trying to keep him in his seat.

"I can't heal old age, boy! If it were some kind of magical ailment I would have no problem, but everyone must die eventually!" There it was. The words that everyone was dreading to hear.

Master Makarov... was _dying._ And there was nothing any of them could do to stop it.


	2. Chapter 2

I got a review saying they wanted the next chapter, so I stayed up til 12:30 to bring it to you! Enjoy! Maybe about two chapters left, depending on how I split it up. Oh, and stay tuned, because I have a spiritual sequel in the making featuring Fairy Tail's fourth generation!

"You've gotta save him you old hag! Master Makarov is the father of our guild! We wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for him!" The fire mage screamed, his voice becoming louder and more harsh as he got fired up.

The healer didn't bother retorting. Instead, she turned on her heel and headed back for the infirmary, with Natsu still struggling against Lucy's grip around his waist.

"Don't just walk away! You need to save him! You hear me, old lady? GRAMPS CAN'T DIE! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"

"Stop it Natsu!" Gray shouted at him before Juvia let out a soft wail and buried herself in his shirt, which for once was on his chest. He gently rubbed circles on her back.

"Natsu... please..." Erza whimpered, lifting her head to look at the dragon slayer with her one eye. He faltered, then caught wind of a wavering breath taken behind him.

He looked down at the girl with her arms around his waist and noticed she was shaking. When she spoke again, Natsu's heart broke with the raw sadness it rang with.

"Please..." That one word from Lucy killed all of the fight that was raging within him. He took a seat again and brought her closer, allowing her to let out her tears.

The guild hall was no longer filled with whispers, but rather with small sniffles and cries as everyone let out all the emotion they had been harboring since the moment Makarov collapsed.

Gajeel, who had been sitting near Levy and her team, was now holding the blue-haired fairy and attempting to bury his face in her hair to hide his own sorrow. Jet and Droy were hugging each other to death with tears streaming down their faces.

Wendy was being hugged by Romeo, who in turn was being hugged by his father and Wakaba. Carla sat nearby with Happy and Pantherlily, and she was the only one in her group not shedding tears. The white Exceed just had a knowing look on her face as she gently comforted her companions.

The Strauss siblings and Laxus's teammates were huddled together. Elfman was trying to comfort Evergreen, when he was the one bawling his eyes out. Freed and Bixlow conversed softly with Lisanna as Mira had passed out on the green-haired man's shoulder.

All of the sadness in the air irritated Laxus, and before he knew it sparks were flying over his skin and he had to try hard to keep it in check. "I'm leaving. All of you guys are weak if you're crying over something like this."

Then the lightning dragon turned and stormed out of the guild's front doors, leaving it to creak back into a closed position painfully slowly.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU ASS! HOW CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHEN YOU'RE OWN GRANDFATHER IS ON HIS DEATHBED!? IF YOU THINK THAT, YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE CALLED HIS GRANDSON! LAXUS!" Natsu screamed, though he didn't give chase. Gajeel didn't even attempt to move lest he disturb Levy, but he did tense in anger. Wendy just started sobbing harder until she was gasping for breath.

"How can he say something like that?! Natsu's right, if Laxus can say that about this guild and the master, then he shouldn't even-" Lisanna started, turning her sadness into anger before the stares of the Thunder Legion cut her off. "What?! He's horrible!"

"You're right, he is horrible." Evergreen agreed.

"Horrible at showing his true emotions." Bixlow added. All three of them held strange looks of fondness on their faces, smiling slightly through their tearstreaked faces.

"He says that, but I would bet anything that we'll find him crying his eyes out later on some edge of town." Freed whispered, adjusting the sleeping girl on his shoulder to rest comfortably in his lap.

"But... crying isn't a sign of weakness! We all know that!" Lisanna tried to argue. Elfman jumped in to agree with her, babbling something about being a real man who can cry. Bixlow and Evergreen just shrugged.

"He knows that. But right now... he feels he needs to be strong."

"But... but why?" She cried, breaking down into tears again. Bixlow tentatively held out his arms for her, and Lisanna gladly accepted his offer.

"It's not important right now, Lisanna." The puppetmaster ended the conversation, and nobody brought it up again that day.

It took hours for everyone to finally calm down enough to head home. The sun had long since set, but it wouldn't be much of a problem since nobody would be spending the night alone. Teams were making plans to stay by each others houses and apartments, and the Thunder Legion found themselves being offered a night at the Strauss's home.

"We really couldn't intrude..." Freed told Mira, who had immediately asked them to stay over after she woke up.

"Please, it's no trouble. Besides, it's probably better that you four have some company, right? Especially Laxus... all of this must be so hard on him." she told the three of them firmly.

"But Sis, Laxus is-"

"We'd be happy to, Mira. Thank you." Evergreen cut off the takeover mage's outburst. Lisanna looked at her with confusion, but the brunette's gaze told her to drop the talk of the lightning mage.

"Let's go, then." Elfman mumbled, turning and half-stumbling out of the guild hall like he was drunk. Evergreen quickly matched his pace and helped steady him as he walked home.

The other four followed quietly, with Bixlow and Freed sharing only one confused look with each other.

Where was their leader?

They knew Laxus was around somewhere. His magic had long since become a distinct feeling for them, and the Thunder Legion could easily tell when he was in the vicinity. It was faint, so he was probably on the border of the town, but he was around. What they wanted to know was if he was alright.

Despite how much he seemed to be distant on the outside, Laxus cared deeply for his grandfather, and even more so for the guild he lead. There was no doubt that this news of his impending death was eating him from the inside, and all three of them wanted to run by his side and help comfort him.

But it wouldn't be welcomed. The lightning dragon slayer was one to mourn in silent. He rarely let anybody see him cry and there was no way he would want them there, though he wouldn't actually tell them to leave.

"Where is he?" Mira asked. The men exchanged another look. She was perceptive.

"We're not exactly sure. Somewhere around town." Bixlow shrugged. Freed didn't elaborate and the woman didn't question further.

Mira had hoped that she could catch him before he ran off to some bar and drowned himself in booze. She felt that she knew Laxus almost as well as his team and thinking of him finding solace at the bottom of a mug in some musky tavern saddened her.

But the takeover mage's mind was fuddled with sleep, and she stumbled on the steps up to her front door. The script mage beside her caught her before she fell, and Mira gave him a soft, kind smile. Both of their hearts fluttered at how close they were, but Freed didn't let it get to him before she was safely lying down on the couch, where she promptly passed out.

Lisanna chuckled softly at her sister and turned to her guests. "Since Sis will be sleeping down here, me and Evergreen can share my room. Freed, Bixlow, you two can take hers if you want. She has extra blankets in her closet and one of you can sleep on the futon, if you want."

A faint blush stained Freed's cheeks at the thought of sleeping in the eldest Strauss's room, but agreed without complaint. Bixlow smirked but went along with it. They were too drained, both physically and emotionally to dispute over where they would be sleeping.

"Good. So, for pajamas... Evergreen, I'm sure Mira's stuff would fit you... but Freed and Bixlow..."

"We'll be alright in these clothes. We can stop home tomorrow and change before heading out anywhere. Chances are we'll be out of here early to go look for our leader." The Thunder Legion chuckled, though Mira stirred at the noise.

"Let's get to bed. I can't keep my eyes open any longer." Lisanna yawned, heading towards the stairs. Everyone followed her, with Freed lingering a moment before walking to the corner of the room to grab a folded blanket and throw it over Mira's sleeping form.

"Sweet dreams, Mira. I hope you can recover the sleep you lost waiting for the Master..." he murmured, before heading upstairs.

3:06 am, on the southern border of Magnolia. A rundown bar known for it's drunken fights between patrons, open all hours of the night to those wishing to drown unwanted feelings in layers of sweet relief known as alcohol.

It was here that a man with shocking blonde hair sat on a barstool, nursing a mug of cheap beer with downcast eyes. It was his fifth drink, but he was still painfully aware of the stabbing guilt in his heart.

He had known something like this was coming. The mage didn't know how he knew, but he knew that he had known. Some kind of premonition, perhaps. A feeling that came and went with the light touch of a feather. He didn't know when it appeared and when it dissipated, but Laxus knew. His grandfather had never given him a warning before. Never told him to keep safe while out on a job.

At the time, it felt stupid. The wizard was always trying to keep his teammates from coming to harm, though he'd done a horrible job of it with the fight against Tartaros. But he always put them before himself and Makarov knew that.

Perhaps it was just the circumstances talking. That would make sense, but... something also told him that that wasn't it. This was different. This had been Makarov's intuition, that had apparently been passed down.

Laxus took a big swig of his drink and nearly gagged at the taste. It was awful, too bitter to be enjoyable, but there was some comfort he took in the burn he felt in his throat. It reminded him to feel. Something he trying to avoid, without success.

"Damn it." he muttered suddenly, slamming down several bills onto the bar to pay for his drinks and storming out of the bar. He heard a few extremely drunk men call out after him, something about wanting to get into a drunken brawl, but he had enough of that at the guild. Under normal circumstances anyways.

For a moment, the cold night air cleared away the fog of alcohol from his mind and he had the thought to go to the guild hall and see his grandfather. If he really didn't have much time left, it may be his last chance...

"Nah, that old geezer's gonna hang on as long as possible," Laxus drawled deeply, heading instead for his home. It didn't really seem appropriate to show up to his dying grandfather's bedside drunk out of his mind. He'd get an earful if he did that.

Even with the alcohol muddying his thoughts, the dragon slayer had the presence of mind to know that he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. Already the effects were starting to wear off from his body, which had an tolerance close to Cana's, and thoughts were racing around once more.

What nagged at him the most was the obvious question. " _If Gramps is dying... who will take over the guild?"_ He was sure that it had fleeted through everyone's mind when they heard the news back at the guild hall, though it was quickly squashed by sadness. Laxus sat down on a bench overlooking the river running through town and gazed at the calming water to organize his thoughts.

So who would become the seventh master of Fairy Tail? Erza seemed to be the most likely candidate. She was strong, smart, and she was able to keep everyone in the guild in check even without a title. She would most certainly be capable of maintaining Fairy Tail's status and keeping every member safe.

Then again, Mirajane had long since perked back up to her former self after Lisanna returned to Earthland. She would have no problems protecting the guild, and she already helped Makarov with his paperwork anyways. Picking up where he left off would be a breeze.

And even though he gave it back the first time, there was always Gildarts. Now that he didn't have Gramps to give the title back to, perhaps he would stay as Master. Laxus chuckled at the thought of the nomadic man sitting quietly and doing paperwork, apologizing to the world for all the destruction that the reckless kids had caused.

Since Mystogan had long since left the guild, those were the only three people that the dragon slayer could logically think of becoming Master. For just one moment, he allowed himself the fantasy that instead of any of the likely candidates, _he_ would become Master.

And as soon as it appeared, he pushed it out of his head. There's no way his Gramps would consider that. First of all, the fact that he had once been exiled from the guild should cut him from the running right away. He was the son of a traitor and had made all of his fellow guildmates hurt each other for some sick goal he couldn't even imagine anymore.

Sure, he was eternally paying for that crime every single waking moment, but that didn't change that it happened. It seemed unimaginable that his guild mates would allow someone like him to lead their guild.

No, Gramps's "children" deserved someone like Erza or Mira, who've proven their loyalty to Fairy Tail a hundred times over.

Laxus shook himself out of his thoughts to the glare of the rising sun. He held a hand up to shield his eyes and noted how red the sky was. An old saying surfaced in his mind, and he mumbled aloud.

"Red sky at night, sailors delight. But red sky at morning... sailors take warning. Rough seas ahead, Gramps. We need you to see us through safe and sound."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Mirajane awoke to feel a heavy blanket holding her to the couch, and to smell a delicious scent wafting from the kitchen. She sat up and groggily rubbed at her eyes, wiping away crust that had settled overnight. The white-haired mage turned and was surprised to see a head of bright green hair bobbing in the kitchen as Freed made a large breakfast.

Noticing her movement, he lifted his head for a moment to nod a greeting, then looked back down at the eggs he was whisking. Mira blinked hard to clear her vision of any blurriness and stood, joining him.

"Are all the others still sleeping?" she asked him. He shook his head.

"Ever and Lisanna are. Bixlow already left to look for Laxus. I don't know about your brother." Freed told her in short bursts as he didn't let his mind drift from his task for long. He threw a couple of finely chopped vegetables into a bowl and mixed them together, then poured the eggs into a hot pan over the stove.

"Say, Freed? Who... who do you think will become our next Master?" Mira asked her companion as she brushed through her tangled hair with her fingers. The rune mage's fingers faltered, then he dumped the veggies in with the eggs and stirred them around.

"I don't know. It's never crossed my mind. The thought that we could lose Master Makarov... it's surreal."

Mirajane nodded, understanding the sentiment. "I know what you mean. He almost seemed invincible, after everything he's been through with us. But... if he is going to be... gone, then we'll need someone to take his place, right?"

"My best guess would be Gildarts. The master chose him before, so perhaps he would do it again. Then there's always our other S-Class mages, you and Erza." Freed said without thinking about it. The idea that she herself could become Master of Fairy Tail caught her off guard and her eyes widened.

"Me?"

The green-haired man looked at her out of the corner of his eye and nodded slightly. "Yes, you. Why not? You help the master with many things already. You would be a fine Master." But she was already shaking her head.

"I couldn't. I love the guild more than anything, but I don't have the leadership for it. Erza would be a better choice."

Freed shrugged and stirred the sizzling breakfast in the pan. "Maybe. But you both are young. Perhaps the Master wouldn't want to put so much responsibility on you so early."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "The only one older that could take the position who's older is..."

"Gildarts."

Freed turned off the stove and plated the eggs onto two plates, and waved Mira to the table. She grinned.

"It feels like I'm the guest in your house rather than the other way around."

The script mage hesitated for just a moment, then lowered his head. "I apologize for using your kitchen without permission."

"No, it's fine! It's wine, Freed, don't worry. It smells delicious!" Mira waved away the apology and he met her gaze with gratitude. "But, only two plates?"

"I thought it would be best if Ever make breakfast for herself. She'll have a fit if I don't allow her to show off, you know." Mira giggled. Evergreen did certainly try to show off any skill she possessed when a certain white-haired man was around. Freed gave her a half smile that betrayed just how devious his intentions were.

In lowered tones, they started gossiping about Mira's brother and Freed's friend. They tried to hide their relationship, but it was so obvious that even Asuka could tell. Though to be fair, she was pretty perceptive about that kind of thing. She picked up on Lucy and Natsu's feelings within a few hours of spending time with them.

With this conversation, they were both able to avoid the topic of the new master. Mira wanted to not come back to it because she didn't want to be told that she would have to lead the entire guild, having seen everything the Master had done for them. She knew she was strong physically, but it would take strength of heart to go through all that he'd done. Mira didn't think she could do it, not as well as he had.

And Freed wanted to avoid it because he had slipped up and almost told Mira about his real thoughts. As kind and smart as she was, he didn't actually think she would be the new Master. Neither did he think Erza would be that good of a choice, nor Gildarts.

Even though he knew it was near impossible, he wanted Laxus to get the title. The script mage would never say that to his companion, of course, but it was what he hoped. To him, Laxus outshined any other potential candidate. Perhaps it was his bias talking, but Freed truly thought his leader to be the perfect heir to the title.

But he didn't bring it up, instead talking with Mira about the small things. Freed knew that pretty much everyone had forgiven them for the Battle of Fairy Tail incident, but to those who had been stuck on Tenrou island, the wound was still pretty fresh. Despite what everyone said, the Master still probably had doubts about putting him in charge of anything.

" _It's not fair! Laxus has repented and paid for everything he's done, and he's done so much since then!"_

"Freed? Are you alright?" His female companion asked with concern. He nodded, pushing those thoughts out of his mind.

"I'm fine." Pause. "I should be asking you that."

"Huh? Why?"

Freed stared at her. "You stayed up all night waiting for Miss Porlyusica to finish her diagnosis and treatment so you would be the first to know if anything happened. You must be exhausted."

She was, but she was also very stubborn. "I'm fine. I had nice dreams last night, so I got a good night's sleep." It wasn't a lie, either. She had dreamt some... interesting things involved her and the man in front of her. None of which were appropriate to speak out loud, especially since now was the time that Evergreen decided to make her entrance.

"Ooh, something smells good!" she remarked with a sleepy smile. Freed nodded.

"Yes, it was." The light reflected off her glasses and hid her eyes as she looked at him.

"You didn't make enough for more than you and Mira, then? I should have guessed." Her voice was teasing, trying to get back at her teammate for the relentless comments the day prior. It flew over Freed's head, but hit Mira instead. Her cheeks tinted pink slightly but she hid it well enough with a smile.

"There's still plenty of eggs left in the fridge, why don't I make some for you, Elfman and Lisanna?" The brunette waved her hand.

"Don't bother. They both sleep like logs." Freed and Mira exchanged a glance.

"How do you know how my brother sleeps?" The takeover mage asked with a slight smirk. Evergreen stuttered but kept an easy grin.

"We've... gone on a few overnight missions together, and let me tell you, he's such a pain to wake up when we need to get going."

Mira stood and headed to the kitchen with the brunette, leaving Freed on his own. He heard water rushing as the white-haired woman ran the faucet to clean off the pan used for the eggs, then the sound of cracking shells.

He stood and, after taking his plate to the kitchen, he went back upstairs to lay down. For some reason, he felt just a little strange after Evergreen's comments, and the script mage figured he hadn't gotten enough sleep.

About an hour later, after Mira's siblings woke up and had breakfast, the five set out for the guild and promptly ran into the "strongest team in Fairy Tail", walking away from the guild with both Erza and Lucy sporting tearstreaked faces and red eyes.

"You two look... better." Mirajane said, trying to keep her voice light. The redhead gazed up at her and reluctantly gave her a small smile.

"Are you guys heading to the guild?" Gray asked, his hands in his pockets and seemingly calm. Elfman nodded, and the ice mage looked back over his shoulder.

"Well, Miss Porlyusica is standing at the door and she won't let you go inside unless you can smile, just so you know." Freed raised an eyebrow.

"Until you can smile? Why?" Natsu looked over at them.

"Something about it keeping the Master's stress down," the dragonslayer told them, uncharacteristically somber.

The takeover sisters flashed bright smiles at him simultaneously. "I think we'll be alright!"

Elfman joined in, raising a fist in triumph. "That's right, we'll keep the Master's spirits up with our manly smiles!" Evergreen, walking behind him, rolled her eyes but didn't comment.

Erza looked over at the Thunder Legion members and raised an eyebrow. "Have you two seen Laxus around?"

Freed shook his head. "No, Bixlow went out early this morning to look for him, but he hasn't come back." The script mage exchanged a glance with his teammate. "We were planning to follow him after we visited the Master."

Mira caught his eyes and smiled. "You can go now, if you want. It wouldn't do to have too many people in the room at once, and Laxus should really come and see his grandfather before... before..." She bit her lip and cut off her sentence, feeling a lump rise in her throat. Understanding the reasoning, Freed nodded and patted her shoulder awkwardly.

"We'll go find him, then." The green haired man turned on his heel and started off, leaving Evergreen to match his pace or get left behind. After they left the Strauss sibling's company, the brunette elbowed her teammate and smirked.

"You _liiiike_ her~"

He didn't respond to her, though his fluttering heart registered the message loud and clear.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to the people who have followed and favorited, I'm so glad you guys like my story! Please leave a review and let me know of what you think of this chapter, is it too obvious what's going to happen?

"I thought I told you kids that you won't be getting in to see Makarov unless you prove to me you can keep your emotions to yourself!" They heard the old healer's voice before they saw her. When the three siblings got a little closer to the guild doors, they saw Romeo arguing with the bad-tempered woman with Wendy sniffling and rubbing her eyes beside him.

"Please, we'll just be a minute, we need to see the Master before he... before he dies!" Romeo hesitated to say it out loud in front of the sky mage, but his need to prove his point outweighed that. Unfortunately, the spoken words made Wendy burst out into a fresh round of tears.

Porlyusica looked at her with outward contempt, but MIra, who had dealt with the healer several times before, had figured out that that look meant she was hiding her pain. The takeover mage knew that this woman was actually the Edolas version of Wendy's dragon mother Grandeeney, so even though she didn't actually know her all too well, it seemed like some maternal instinct existed within her bitter facade.

Romeo grumbled but he realized that if he stayed any longer, the old woman could and would get violent with them, so he grabbed his friend's hand and pulled her away from the guild. She attatched to his side and he rested a reassuring arm over her shoulder.

"Hello Miss Porlyusica! You look better today." Mira called in greeting, matching her words with a winning smile. The other woman just crossed her arms and glared at the trio.

"You three want to see the Master? I warn you, only a few people have actually been able to get past me today. Though... Mirajane, you'll be going in no matter what."

"Huh?"

"Makarov asked to see you. He asked it of a few other people as well. I had to let Erza in even though she was an absolute mess, and she didn't come out any better. But you three look to be in good spirits..." With something akin to reluctance, the healer allowed the group to open the doors to the guild hall and head inside.

The heavy wood slammed behind them and they jumped at how loud it was in the desolate hall.

The guild was _never_ empty, but here it was, amplifying the sounds of their footsteps and sending the sound ringing through their ears. They hurried to get to the infirmary, where Makarov was waiting.

He was awake when they walked in, which came as something of a surprise. Awake and aware of his surroundings. His skin was paper white but his eyes were shining with life, and it gave the trio hope that despite what the woman outside had told them, he would survive.

" _He has to... he's_ Master Makarov..." The thought ran through all three of their heads, but Mira broke the silence first.

"Hello, Master. How are you doing?"

"I've been better, but I've been worse." he told them, his voice little more than a croak. Makarov coughed roughly once, twice, then swallowed and tried again. "I'm doing well, though I've been getting a little lonely. Why haven't my children come to see me?"

The tone of his voice, joking and calm, put their nerves at ease and Lisanna grinned.

"Your doctor is playing bodyguard outside the guild. She won't let anyone in if they're crying."

Makarov looked at her like she was crazy. "Now why would they be crying?"

The Strauss siblings exchanged glances. "Master..." Elfman started.

"Miss Porlyusica said that..." Lisanna picked up.

"...you only have a few days to live." The eldest sibling finished.

"And you kids are crying because of that? Please, I've survived much worse that this. Why, it's nothing more than a cold!" He cheered with his raspy voice, smiling widely. The white-haired siblings decided that a little optimism couldn't hurt.

"Of course, I'm sure you'll be fine. We just don't like seeing you sick, Master." Mira told him with a soft smile. Silently Lisanna and Elfman nodded.

"Well, I'm getting plenty of bedrest thanks to Porlyusica, so I should be good as new in no time." It was a lie, and they all knew it, but for the moment they wanted so badly to believe it.

"You kids should go do something fun today. Maybe take a job or two. Don't stop your entire life just because I've caught a cold!" He chuckled. The three exchanged glances. It wasn't a bad idea. Taking a job in Magnolia would keep them close in case something happened, but it would also keep their minds off the situation. With a tacit agreement, the three stood up and started towards the door.

"Wait, Mira, if you could stay for a moment?" The Master's tone let her younger siblings know that this was to be a private conversation, so Lisanna grabbed her brother's hand and lead him out with a grin.

"Come on Elfman, let's go pick out a job request!" She said, then looked over her shoulder at Mira. "We'll wait for you outside, Sis!"

Mirajane nodded and waited until the door clicked shut to turn around. Makarov had lost his fake smile and was now staring up at the ceiling in thought. "You... want to ask me something, Master?"

"You know, this whole ordeal had got me thinking about something that's not been on my mind for a few years... not including the time gap, of course." He started, seemingly ignoring Mira's question. Makarov tilted his head to look at her with bright eyes. "It's got me thinking... who will be the next Master of Fairy Tail?"

"But, you're going to be fine, right Master?" she tried to giggle when she said it, but her voice cracked and betrayed her emotions. He gave her a soft smile.

"Even so, I've been in this position before. At that point, if I had died, I would have nobody to pass the title onto. But now, I do." Mira's heart pounded as she knew where this conversation was going. First Freed, now the Master?

"Oh no, I don't think that's a good idea, Master!" He raised an eyebrow at her frantic tone.

"Really?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, I think you should reconsider! I... I don't think..."

"I thought you would approve of my choice, Mira."

"But Master, I can't-"

"Don't you think he'd be a good next Master?"

The white-haired woman stopped her flailing arms and looked at him, uncomprehending. "Him?"

"Of course! He's not as... mature as I would have hoped, but I think he'll make a wonderful seventh Master, when the time comes of course." Makarov then caught the awestruck look on her face and let out as hearty of a laugh as he could manage.

"Oh, you kids! Erza made that exact face too! Did you two think I would choose you as Master?" He asked kindly, taking note of the terror that was fading from her eyes. "Not that I don't believe you would lead wonderfully, of course. But you're much too young, I would never rope you into a responsibility that would take you away from enjoying that youth." At that, Mira let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. A wave of relief swept over her, and for that she felt just a bit guilty. Would it really be so bad, to be the Master of Fairy Tail? Then her good sense came back with an image of stacks of paperwork that always needed to be filled out, and she was glad that she wouldn't have to bear that.

"But, I do need your help. I wouldn't want to appoint someone as Master without consulting them. Can I ask you to send a message to Gildarts?" She nodded, happy to be able to do something for him. The woman stood, but before she could go anywhere, he grabbed her hand and gave her a plain brown envelope.

"What's this?" She held it up to get a better look at it.

"It's a failsafe. In case this does end up being my last days like Porlyusica insists, open that and follow the instructions inside. There's all the official paperwork for appointing the new Master." She started and looked at the envelope with a sudden wave of sadness. Makarov was really thinking about this. It wasn't just talk anymore, he was making plans to... die. She bit her lip and swallowed the lump in her throat, turning away so he couldn't see her tears.

"I'll make sure to do that, if something happens." Mira was proud of how steady her voice was. Makarov simply hummed in acknowledgement, then yawned.

"That's all, you can go on your job with your siblings now. I'm gonna take a nice long nap!" He said happily, laying back on the pillow and closing his eyes. Within the time it took for Mira to leave the room, she could already hear his snores.

After leaving the room, she took a deep breath and brushed a stray hair out of her face, then looked down at the envelope in her hands. She had half a mind to open it now and satisfy her curiosity, but she stopped herself. With any luck, she would be able to throw this away when Makarov was back on his feet.

With that thought, she put the brown envelope away in her pocket and shoved the thought of it out of her mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for taking so long with this chapter! And the fact that it's so short doesn't really make up for it... I'll make the next one suuuuuuper long to make up for it! Maybe...**

 **Should be about 2 chapters left. Possibly an epilogue. Then I'm planning a story with the fourth generation Fairy Tail! It's going to contain a lot of OC's but I really want it to do well anyways. Let me know what you guys think of the idea-will you check it out?**

 **Anyways, enough rambling. Enjoy chapter 5 of The Seventh Master!**

The close to home job requests went fast after Mira and her siblings took one. Almost every team from the guild seemed to follow their lead and take a simple mission that kept them close to home. It came as a relief to Porlyusica, who was able to leave her guard post for a little while to check on her patient and make sure he was doing well.

"You need as much rest as possible if you're going to continue insisting that you're going to recover." She told him after he asked why she was keeping his kids away from him. Makarov huffed and looked out the window as she tried to meet his eyes with a glare. "I don't understand you. You tell Mirajane that you're going to be fine, and then go and give her papers to use after your death. Are you trying to give the poor girl more grief?"

"No... I just want to be prepared for the worst. It's been a while since the guild was this quiet." He commented, trying to change the subject. She narrowed her eyes.

"Stubborn old fool." The healer mumbled, setting down a new glass of water on his bedside table. "If you were planning on giving the guild away, why wait until the last moment when he may not even show up in time for you to ask?"

"I was intending to. As soon as the guild hall was completely rebuilt. I thought that with a new guild hall, could come a new master." Porlyusica paused in fixing his medicine and looked over at him through the corner of her eye. Makarov's eyes were clouded and far away, his attention dazedly directed towards the window. She shook her head and handed him a few pills before heading out of the room.

"Take those in a few hours, after the sun sets. I'm going back outside. Get some rest while I'm out there," the healer ordered, leaving the door cracked so he could yell for her if he needed. Once in the large empty guild hall, she took in a deep breath and sighed, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"He'd better get here in time... maybe if he'd stop sulking for once," The pink-haired woman mumbled to herself, reassuming her place as guard. The sun, having been behind or above her the entire day, was now glaring right into her eyes and she turned her head to avoid it. When that didn't completely block out the light, she closed her eyes and put her arm over them. She tried to keep herself awake by focusing on sounds all around her, but even those became a soft lullaby that eventually caused her to drift off.

The tread of heavy footsteps awoke her. Silently she sat up and lowered her arm, which was starting to cramp from being held in an upward position for so long. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the surrounding darkness. Hours had past since she had sat down again, and the healer was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't had to deal with any more tear-streaked faces.

It wasn't that she was heartless. She cared about Makarov as well, and seeing him struggle to hang on just a little longer ate her from the inside. But she had to be professional, and years of hiding her true emotions due to pride didn't let her show how torn she was.

To her right, the footsteps grew louder, but slower, as if the person was hesitant to come any closer. Squinting, she could make out a head of unruly hair and sighed.

"You're here after all." Porlyusica commented, standing to beckon the man forward. "He's been waiting for you." Her tone conveyed anger at how he hadn't come to see the master yet, but either he didn't notice or didn't care.

"Sorry."

They locked eyes, her dark red ones boring into his, but he didn't flinch. Finally, she huffed and moved her chair, pulling the door open and waving him inside.

"Just go! He's doesn't have much longer and even though you've been sulking like a child, he needs to see you."

The mage gave her a halfhearted smirk before stepping inside, the door slamming behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, his enhanced ears caught the slight scrape of the old healer's chair. Probably her settling back into guard duty, though he didn't see much of a point to it in the middle of the night.

His footsteps echoed even more loudly than they had the day before, the sound bouncing off of every wall and careening back to him, making him feel extremely small. Who was he, really, to come in this late at night and expect Makarov to be awake and willing to talk to him? Him, of all people, who was considering turning back around even now and running away from everything.

The man grabbed the handle of the door to the infirmary and inched it open, not wanting to wake the patient inside if he was sleeping. It creaked and he froze, wondering if it was too late to back out now. He even took a step back into the hallway before a voice rang from the darkness and brought him back.

"Who's there?" The breathy sound of Makarov's voice sent pangs through the man's heart. He stepped into the infirmary and approached the old man's bedside. His black eyes stared out the window, into the darkness, and left the man to sigh.

"Hi...Gramps."

 **Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we are, the final chapter of Seventh Master. Enjoy!**

The sixth Fairy Tail master smiled gently at his grandson. He looked extremely uncomfortable at the side of his bed. With his height, he had to look down even after he sat down in the flimsy chair Porlyusica set up that morning.

"You look even worse for wear than the kids who came by this morning. Where've you been that you couldn't come and visit your old man?" Makarov teased, the humor falling on deaf ears. Laxus averted his storm gray eyes and fixed them upon the medicine sitting on his grandfather's bedside table.

"I'm sorry, Gramps... I didn't think showing up drunk would be all that appropriate." The lightning mage tried to lighten his apology with a joke, but his voice caught and betrayed the emotions he was trying to suppress. Damn it, he spent all that time today preparing himself for this moment and here he was, his throat closing at the first sight of him.

"Laxus... please, look at me." Reluctantly, the Dragon Slayer raised his head and met the old man's eyes. The look that he saw there scared him more than anything he had ever been faced with before.

Seeing Orga from Sabertooth taken out in one hit during the Grand Magic Games had sent chills down his spine. Watching dragons terrorize the city of Crocus made his heart beat twice as fast as normal - especially since he's pretty sure he died at one point during that battle. Not even the blood chilling fear that ran through him when he saw his friends lying helpless on the ground, breathing in deadly magic killing particles scared him as much as the resigned but determined gaze he saw in his grandfather's eyes.

"I can feel it now... I don't have as long as I thought. Seems Porlyusica was right... And there's so much to tell you..." He broke off his sentence and let out a loud, phlegmy cough. Then another, and it eventually ended up with Laxus grabbing the glass of water from the table and handing it to him.

"Gramps, don't push it. You've survived a whole shit load of crap worse than this before. Just get your rest and you'll be back on your feet in no time-"

"No, Laxus. This will be it. And I have something important to ask you." Makarov pushed with all his might against the bed, trying to pull himself up into a sitting position. Laxus grabbed his pillow and propped it up against the headboard, allowing him to lie back but meet his eyes without a struggle. The sixth master then grabbed his grandson's outstretched hand and clasped it between two very cold, clammy ones.

"I've been thinking long and hard about the state of this guild, and who will take charge once I'm gone." Laxus felt an icicle stab him through his heart. "Laxus... I'll cut to the chase. Please, will you take on the responsibility of this guild, and protecting every member of your family? Fairy Tail... it needs you."

It was like a million volts went straight through him. He jerked away as if he'd been burned, knocking over his chair when he stepped back in his shock. Laxus's hands shook and he felt a strange anger flicker inside his gut.

"Are you serious, Gramps?! That's it?!" Makarov recoiled slightly at the outburst.

"Laxus, I-"

" _You're_ the Master that Fairy Tail needs, not me! I'm just a screwup who can't even protect his teammates from danger! What the hell makes you think I'd make something even resembling a good master?!" The volume of his voice rose until his lungs ached from the stress. Makarov simply took a deep breath and let him rant, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get a word in until Laxus calmed down.

"I don't even deserve to be _in_ the guild, after everything I've done... An exile, a reject of the family... you should be ashamed for even being seen with me!" Laxus shouted, gasping for breath as his shouting winded his weakened lungs. "How could you even consider someone like _me_ as your successor!?" The lightning dragon slayer panted, a hand on his chest where pain was starting to bloom. Makarov blinked slowly, and took a deep breath.

"It's precisely because you're gone through all that that I believe you're the best choice for the job." Laxus's head shot up and he opened his mouth to argue, but the fire was gone.

"You couldn't choose Erza, or Mira, or Gildarts?" He deflated, taking deep breaths and pushing away the pain. Makarov shook his head slowly.

"Erza and Mirajane are wonderful members of this family, and some of the strongest. But they're young. Erza may keep the guild in check but under stress she becomes rash. She thinks she needs to carry the whole world on her shoulders so that nobody else she cares about will get hurt. Mirajane is largely the same." Laxus couldn't argue with that statement. Ever since they were little, the lightning mage had noticed a strong maternal instinct in her.

"Wouldn't that make them perfect?" He asked, but his grandfather immediately shook his head.

"No. You know as well as I do that you can't protect your children from the world, especially in this guild. All you can do is make sure they have a loving family to come back to, no matter how long they're gone. That's why Gildarts isn't a good choice. He loves this guild, but he loves the open space and travelling more. Tying him down becomes a danger."

Laxus's eyes glinted dangerously, his anger brewing once again. "But it's fine to tie down your grandson, is that what you're saying?" He took another breath to continue his point but a stabbing pain caused him to gasp and double over.

After the pain mostly dissipated, the dragon slayer looked up to meet his grandfather's eyes, filled with a kind, gentle understanding.

"I know this is a lot to ask, Laxus. And I'm sorry that it came out that way. I don't want to tie you down, I simply believe that you already have that connection. I am your family, but so is everyone who wears the Fairy Tail emblem. You love this guild, and all those who are a part of it, even more than I do. Your actions have proved that."

"But, Fantasia, the battle of Fairy Tail-"

"-Was a long time ago for all but us who were stuck on Tenrou Island. The town has forgiven you, Laxus. Those who were left behind have forgiven you. Even those who were on the island have long forgiven you. Please... try and forgive yourself."

The blonde took a shuddery breath and he wasn't sure if it was from his recovering lungs or the lump forming in his throat. Laxus fought hard to push back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes and he dipped his head to hide them when he failed. His grandfather took this as a sign of resignation.

"That's the only reason, isn't it? Are you trying to punish yourself for what you did, years ago?"

The lightning mage took a few seconds to steady his voice before speaking. "For me... it hasn't _been_ years, Gramps. It's still fresh... I just don't understand..."

"Don't understand what?"

"I could have killed them! I could have killed all of them with my stupid plot! I don't even know why I did it anymore! Do you understand how anyone in this guild could possibly forgive me for such a horrible act? Because I don't!"

"Laxus... I'm disappointed in you, you're telling me you still don't know?" Makarov's gravelly voice was full of mirth and his grandson's head shot up to see a wide, teasing smile on his face.

"Of course not! Why're you laughing?!" The question just made the master of Fairy Tail chuckle more. He lifted his arm with an enormous effort and ruffled his grandson's hair like he was a child. On instinct, Laxus ducked out of it, and Makarov laughed even harder.

"And here I was, thinking I taught you well. I guess you weren't paying attention."

"Spit it out, Gramps!"

"Love."

Laxus recoiled at the unexpected answer. "What?"

"Love, Laxus. That's why Fairy Tail has forgiven you."

"I... I don't-"

"It's the principle of this guild. Everyone who wears our mark is family, and family loves each other... and forgives each other." His grin widened at the dumbstruck look on his grandson's face. "Come on, did you expect any other answer?"

At that moment, something inside Laxus's heart snapped, and he put his face into his hands and took a shaky breath, letting tears of immense relief fall. Something about hearing his grandfather's simple answer made it all make sense.

Of course he shouldn't have expected anything more complicated as an answer. This was _Fairy Tail._ It was the guild he grew up looking up to, spent his adolescence looking down on, and now finally he found his perfect place- right alongside them.

The lightning dragon slayer hadn't realized how much this guild had meant until he lost it, and now he realized that everything he did after he was brought back were meant to make up for his previous actions. Unconsciously, he'd been apologizing for months. Now, his grandfather was telling him that it had been unnecessary? That he was forgiven even without that?

The thought made him laugh.

It surprised Makarov when Laxus lifted his head with a huge smile on his face, but he grinned as his grandson allowed himself to show the happiness he felt.

"You're sure you want to do this, Gramps?" Laxus asked, but this time it was with a smile and a knowing look. Makarov nodded.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you the full ceremony, my boy, but I had been hoping that this conversation would happen under other circumstances." The lightning mage's gray eyes grew pained, but he shrugged.

"I explored quite a bit of this place when I was a kid, Gramps. Especially when you weren't around." Laxus gave him a smirk, but Makarov ignored it.

"Mira has everything that you'll need... the secrets of this guild that I wasn't able to show you in person." The old man took a deep breath and relaxed back into his pillows with a small smile. "I'm... finally done. I'm sorry, Laxus, for leaving you to figure this out on your own. Please... know that you can rely on your family for help." Makarov's eyelids fluttered and he yawned.

"You alright, Gramps?"

"The medicine Porlyusica gave me is wearing off, that's all."

Laxus stood. "I'll let you get some sleep, then-" Faster than he would have thought possible, Makarov's hand shot out and grabbed his grandson's wrist.

"Laxus... please, stay here."

The dragon slayer raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Call it my last request as Master. Just... please... stay."

Laxus's ears heard immense sorrow in his grandfather's words and without anything else being said, the man understood what he was saying.

He was dying, right before his very eyes. And despite everything he'd ever been through, he didn't want to die alone.

With their tacit agreement, the lightning mage sat down again by his bedside and held his grandfather's hand. The old man smiled gently and closed his eyes. Laxus watched his chest faintly move up and down until finally, the repetitive movement lulled him to sleep as well.

3:06 am, the Fairy Tail guild. Laxus is jerked out of his sleep by a dream that immediately eludes his consciousness. He couldn't tell what the dream had been about, but what he did register was that the hand he held, clasped tightly between his own, was limp, warmed only by his own body heat. Slowly, he looked up to the body it was connected to, though his nose already told him what he wanted to know.

The sixth master of Fairy Tail, Makarov Dreyar, was lying there peacefully. His eyes were closed and a gently smile graced his face. Laxus gazed down at his grandfather's motionless chest, willing it to show some sign of life.

He knew it was wishful thinking. Something told him that this was what had woken him up. Some shift in atmosphere, a difference in magic, something so slight that it couldn't have been detected had his brain been awake. But in the lucid state of sleep, his sensitive senses picked up on the very moment that his grandfather's soul left his body.

And now, he gently laid Makarov's hand on his chest, right on his heart and more importantly, his guild mark. It seemed fitting. Idly, Laxus wondered if his grandfather had known how much he would come to love this guild when he placed his mark there. Unconsciously, his hand went to his own guild mark, resting right on his ribcage.

The lightning mage thought back to his conversation with his grandfather - the last one he ever had - and he smiled ruefully.

"You left me with quite the job, geezer. How do you expect me to do it all on my own?" With that question, his self control snapped and tears welled up in his stormy eyes. Frustrated but not able to vent it, he pushed his chair up against the wall and sat down again, leaning his head back and attempting to calm himself down.

Despite his mind still whipping around like a tornado, the next thing Laxus knew was that there was light streaming in through the window and someone was harshly shaking his shoulder. The dragon slayer blinked and yawned widely, covering his mouth with his hand. "What?" he asked the unknown person irritably.

"What do you mean, _what?_ What are _you_ doing just sitting here!? When did he- Why didn't he take his medicine!?" The old healer shouted straight into his ear before striding over to the dead man's bedside table and holding up a bottle of greenish liquid. Laxus blinked dumbly at her.

"He probably didn't know it was there."

"Wrong! I told him exactly where it was when I put it down on the table, and I know his mind wasn't that far gone! Why didn't you make him drink this, Laxus? This was the only thing keeping him alive!" Finally the young man rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and got a good look at the irate healer in front of him.

And what he noticed first was that her eyes were filled with tears. She was squeezing the bottle of medicine between white knuckles and her whole body was tense with falsified anger. Silently he stood and faced her, meeting her with a calm gaze.

"Then I guess he felt he didn't need to be here anymore." The pink-haired woman snorted and whipped around to check Makarov's body. Laxus turned and immediately recognized the head of long, pure white hair standing in the doorway.

"Mirajane..."

"Master... he's...?"

The lightning mage's shoulders sagged but he nodded. "And... I need to talk to you."

Mira took a deep breath and pushed away the lump in her throat. "Yes?"

Laxus lead her out of the infirmary and closed the door behind him, leaning against the wall beside it. "Gramps said that you had something for me." The dragonslayer told her, more of a statement than a question. The woman's eyes widened slightly but she nodded.

"He did give me something... Here, it's in my pocket." The barmaid retrieved the crumpled brown envelope out of her dress pocket and handed it to Laxus. He quickly broke the seal and gently pulled the papers free.

"What are they?" The curious white-haired woman asked, and Laxus smirked at her.

"What, you mean you didn't sneak a peek at them after Gramps handed it to you?"

"Of course not! So, what are they?" she told him shrilly, making his sensitive ears ring. Instead of answering her question himself, he handed some of them to her.

"Read for yourself."

Quick as lightning her eyes flew over the words and official text before looking up at him with wide eyes. "So... the seventh master of Fairy Tail... it's-"

"Me, yeah. But, if you don't want me to be, I understand... I still don't know why he wanted it to me-" His words were cut off by Mira throwing her arms around his neck in a huge hug.

"No, this is awesome! Laxus, you'll be perfect! Although," she leaned back and grinned at him, "your grandfather left you a lot of work to be done, _seventh master_." Laxus cringed and stepped out of her hug, grimacing at her.

"Please, Mira. Don't call me that. Laxus will be just fine."

She stepped back and looked at him with a critical eye, finally meeting his confused gaze with a smile.

"Yes, you will. You will be just fine."

 **And it's done! What do you think, guys? I can finally move from this prequel project to the main event, the events of the years X808 and beyond, with our favorite lightning dragon slayer as the master of the new Fairy Tail! For the sake of both stories, the events of Alvarez Empire aren't going to take place, mostly because at this point it's not complete and I don't want to speculate the ending. Please, guys, let me know what you think of the idea of a story full of OC children of Fairy Tail!**

 **I may add an epilogue chapter to this story that will mimic the new one, so you can meet them. Until then, review please!**


End file.
